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Thursday, 6 August 2015

Leeds. The Crawl goes on. Part Two.

Saturday Afternoon.

The morning started out with an excellent cooked
breakfast at the Travelodge, over which the day's plan was hatched.
The boys would be off for a walk, followed by beer, the girls,
shopping and then meeting up with us for a beer. Simple. What could
go wrong. (Gurgle, gurgle) We all got ready and headed out (gurgle).
After a twenty, or so, minutes of our (gurgle, gurgle) walk, I
desperately realised that, maybe, last night's kebab, followed by a
hearty breakfast, was not a great idea, and a desperate rush back to
the hotel was most welcome. I later caught up with Steve, back in the
Pack Horse, although I opted out of the first pint of the day. After
that, the rest of the plan was hatched, and we were soon heading
towards our first “new” pub of the day.

The Hop.
The Dark Arches, Neville Street.

Let's go to The Hop !

Don't give up looking for this pub. Continue down
Neville St, until you see an alleyway on the right, under the
station. Follow this, under the platforms, over a river (yes, a
river) and eventually you will reach The Hop. After exiting the
alleyway, you are confronted with a pub frontage that overlooks a
canal and various apartment buildings and a Hilton Hotel which is
very cosmopolitan to behold. This is an Ossett Brewery outlet, with a
good choice of their beers, alongside a few guests. Steve went for
the Ossett “Inception”, a 4% Golden Ale, which has a quite
complex aromatic, almost herbal, taste to it, with pine, citrus and a
woodiness detectable. Fair bitterness is there in the dry finish. It
takes a bit of getting used to at the start, but by the end it
transcribes to a good beer. My beer was Great Heck “Voodoo Mild”
, 4.3%. You are greeted by a big mouthful of chocolate and
roasted malt, which carries on throughout. I thought it more
stout-like. The finish is medium sweet, but dry. The perfect
pick-me-up to recover from the effects of last nights kebab ! A great
pub, and great beer.

The Scarbrough Hotel
Bishopgate Street.

Just
below the station is this pleasant “Nicholson's” pub, which is
very busy with passing trade. A good selection of pumps display their
wares in this very clean and tidy, well kept Inn. At busy times,
seating can be at a premium, but don't be deterred, seats do come
available. Although we did not eat, the food which passed us, on the
way to expectant diners, looked delicious, and portions large. I
opted for the 4% “Red
Sails Cherry Porter” from
Shepherd Neame,
which was well rounded, with a lovely cherry taste all the way
through from the rich, smooth sweetness of the malt to the gorgeous
dry finish. Marston's
“New World Pale Ale” was
my co-taster's tipple. This was his first taste of this 4% beer, with
it's lovely bitter, crisp and citrus notes. He is now a “New World”
beer convert !

Leeds Brewery Tap New
Station Street

This
is an easy pub to find, when you find with this area being on two
levels, and beers already being taken, one can get a little
disorientated. We wandered up to the Station via the steps opposite
The Scarbrough, and, after bearing right, then forward onto the
station, then, tentatively, left, felt quite stupid when we espied
it, next to the GIANT multi-storey car park ! It is a very modern
looking bar, light airy and, obviously, carrying a full Leeds
Brewery line
up. In here I opted for Leeds
“Yorkshire Gold”, which
was just as good, if not better, than last night's offering in The
Swan, whilst Thornbridge
“Wild Swan”,
a very zesty Pale Ale, with slight spiciness, and a noticeable bitter
lemon note, a refreshing 3.5% Ale, was also included in our round.
The shopping had finished whilst we were in here, so our numbers were
now doubled for the rest of the afternoon's shenanigans. The next
round much reflected the last one, with 2 halves added, in this
wonderful bar, with an easy going feel about it.

Friends of Ham New
Station Street

Well,
the Friends of Ham, part deli, part wine bar, part pub. Very
cosmopolitan indeed. We were greeted by a very polite waitress, who,
after determining our preferences, eating, drinking or both, invited
our party to find a table downstairs. We then waited for our “beer
menu” to be presented for our perusal, then our order was taken
and, eventually, our drinks arrived. I liked the concept, rather like
some micropubs we have visited, but I did find it a bit of a
long-winded way to get a drink. A good experience, in some ways, but
when busy, you may have to wait a while or so. So, what did we drink
in here ? The two halves were the keg “Pacer
HAM's Pale Ale” 4.1%,
from Summer Wine
Brewery,
a fruity, slightly bitter, but quite rounded Pale Ale, with a high
carbonation. A very refreshing keg beer. Steve chose another Pale
Ale, this one from The
Bristol Beer Factory, called
“Independence”,
4.6%. A very hoppy, floral and reasonably fruity American style Pale,
which was packed with flavours, but not overly complex. I had
Ilkley's “Damn
Good Threshing”,
a Wheat Beer of 5.1%. Cloudy, slight yeast and that wheat
bitter-sweetness is much evident, and this was as good a Wheat Beer
as I have tasted.

Tapped Boar
Lane.

On the Tapped Taps soon.

This
is a very busy and bustling pub portraying another excellent display
of beers, Cask, Keg and Craft beers. There are a myriad of beer pumps
behind the bar, with vessels of beer readying at the back. The
clientele is very mixed, and the atmosphere is vibrant. There is a
quite airy feel to the place. I, again, chose a 5% Stout, Moor
Beer Company's “Stout”, a
Craft beer with a slightly smoky taste. Not a heavy beer, in fact
quite thin in body, but certainly not wishy washy. Can a 5% stout be
a session beer? Intrepid
“Explorer” ,
a Blonde Ale of 4.3%, with a fruity aroma and crisp,dry and quite
zesty and bitter finish, was the other pint in the round, along with
Bernard “Pivo”
Czech Lager. Although
not usually a lager lover, from my tiny little sample, I thought the
taste of this one was really good. The ladies enjoyed it too, enough
to prevent The Beermonster having seconds.

The Head of Steam Mill
Hill.

A
Cameron's pub which, due to it's size, popularity and choice of
beers, is very busy. Patience at the bar is a virtue, but the
welcoming staff do manage quite well, and the locals are very
engaging and entertaining. This corner bar, with central serving
facilities, carries another good range of beers, mostly from nearby
breweries. Since this was to be our last port of call for this
afternoon's little walkabout, we decided to have a couple in here. I
started on another pint of “Damn
Good Threshing”, which
was equally as good as the pint of the same, partaken in the Friends
Of Ham, before moving on to a 4.9% Titanic
“Plum Porter”. With
fruit in the aroma, and plum and raisin in the initial taste, which
leads all the way through the slight bitter, but quite sweet finish.
Steve chose Timothy
Taylor's “Boltmaker” a
drink he stayed with for the duration in here, as did Dee and Jane,
with their choice, Cameron's
3.9%
“Gold
Bullion”. “Boltmaker”
a 4% Best Bitter, is full of roasted maltiness, which leaves a lovely
sweetness in the mouth before it dissipates, to be followed by a
wonderful bitterness in the finish. The “Golden
Bullion” was
clean, crisp and refreshing, with citrus and hops coming to the fore.
A very good beer, best enjoyed on a hot day, but equally as pleasing
on a cooler afternoon in Leeds !

Saturday Evening

After a brief respite, back at our hotel, a few snacks
and a brew or two of coffee later, we wandered back out to tick a few
more of our pub list. It was a nice evening, but with just a touch
more than a hint of chill in the air, but, at least we had missed the
forecasted rain.We to be on our way home the next day, around noon,
so a big session was to be avoided. Still, here is the last part of
our saga in this wonderful real ale drinker's paradise.

The Wardrobe
St Peter's Square.

Slightly
off the beaten track, next to the BBC, and not far from the Bus
Station, this bar, restaurant and music venue is well worth visiting.
With craft beers by the bottle, and cask ales from local brewers,
alongside fine wines and cocktails, makes for a lovely mix of
customers in this friendly, relaxing bar. Vocation
Brewery,
from Cragg Vale, with the offering of “Bread
and Butter” , a
3.9% Pale, with a mild sweetness, pine aroma and a hint of peach, was
the drink of choice of Steve, and our partners, which was very smooth
and rounded, with a nice dryness in the finish. I opted for
“Ro-Sham-Bo”
,
a 4.2% Session IPA, from Wharfedale
Brewery. The
taste is a good mix of bitter-sweetness, with tropical fruits and
zesty citrus notes. The finish is dry, bitter and very moreish.

Crowd of Favours,
Harper Street

A pub not on my list, I don't know why, but firmly on it
now. With a shopfront facade, this is a quaint looking premises. Run
by Leeds Brewery, the beers are predominately from that brewer's
stock, but with several guests alongside. The advertising inside
boasted of filmshows, quizzes and various other activities, all on
different nights. It seems that never a dull evening is experienced
here. Steve, and the Girls topped up with, the, now, much loved Leeds
“Pale Ale”, which had been well received all weekend. It is a
glass full of good, golden enjoyment. I, initially, went for “Samba”,
a fruity Blonde beer, but, unfortunately, it had just gone, so
“Mosaic”, a Blonde Ale of 4.3%, from another local brewery,
Malton's Brass Castle, in conjunction with North Riding
Brewpub, in Scarborough, was my chosen drink. Tropical fruits,
including mango, are very evident and the balance between these, and
a good hopped bitterness is well balanced, which leads to the dry,
bitter and refreshing finish, to make it a very good pint indeed.

The Duck and Drake
Kirkgate

This
was the pub we had originally headed for , before coming across the
Crowd of Favours, dropping anchor for some refreshment, and
replotting to find this pub, so we were very pleased to find it just
yards away ! We squeezed into the main room, to the strains of Green
Day, just managed to get to the end of the bar, next to a good
selection of hand-pumps, but, seeing as it was packed in here, with a
good band on for entertainment, we were served quite quickly. We
ordered our drinks, then retreated to the side room, which also
carried a full array of beer pumps. A place with great vibes. Our
beers were a pint and a half each of Elland
“Blonde”, a
4% Blonde Ale, which was dry, quite aromatic, with a hint of pine,
reasonably bitter, with floral notes, Slightly
Foxed Brewing's
“Prairie Fox”,
an American style Pale Ale, with a spiced fruitiness, citrus and
dryness in the finish. Quite light tasting for it's 5.2%. Our second
round in here, much reflected the first, except I went for the Acorn
“Arcade”,
a 4.5% Golden Ale. Floral, with a hint of lime and citrus greets the
palate, but then a lovely sweet maltiness is there to temper it. A
well rounded and, by the number opting for it at the bar, quite
popular beer.

We
left here to find some food. No Subway, no McDonald's, and chippy
Fish and Chips were to be frowned upon. Kebabs ? Oh no way. Tonight
we were making our way to Mr Oliver's place “Jamie's Italian” The
food here is very nice, and, after ordering our various meals, I went
for Fritto Misto, a fish and shellfish dish, flash fried, with a
chunky tartare sauce, and, of course, a side of chunky chips (so, I
suppose I got my Fish and Chips in the end, even if it wasn't the
traditional !) We all enjoyed our food here, it is qwell worth the
visit, and it serves
Leeds Brewery
beers by the bottle. What more could you ask for.

On
reflection, our experience of Leeds was just fantastic. Real Ale,
Craft and Keg in every pub we visited. We experienced over 40
different brews between us, with very few disappointments. I, along
with my band of boozers, cannot wait to return, visiting, maybe, a
few more pubs not yet ticked, along with those already mentioned.
Leeds. Thank you for your hospitality. Until the next time.

About Me

I am a passionate Real Ale Drinker (not a drunkard) who, along with " T'other 'arf", try to give an independant view on beer and boozers on my little blog. The haggard look comes free with 4 Grandchildren. I love travelling around this sceptered Isle of ours, but work commitments and finances stop me from being so prolific in my excursions. Roll on retirement and that free bus pass! I also slave away at my allotment ,follow Grimsby Town (sadly these days, only on the radio) and enjoy cooking and brewing.
Confucius, He say " Tis better to be a diamond with a flaw than a pebble with none"
Grimsby born, Grimsby bred.Strong in arm Thick in 'ead